CONNECTIONS(tm) News

Thursday, April 30, 2009

Enter “virus and spyware” in a search engine and you’ll be pummeled with results – more than it is possible to absorb. Do this, don’t do that, install this, don’t install that. A single blog entry can’t capture every possible permutation of malware so instead I’ll describe two real attempts by Internet bad guys to infect my home PC and/or steal personal information. I thwarted both by being observant – and being observant is by far the best way to prevent a nasty virus or spyware infection. And before you think otherwise, neither of these examples is the result of visits to sites with, well, salacious content.

Real Example – Phisher attempts to hook me (I got away)

What is phishing? Here’s Wikipedia’s take: “phishing is an attempt to criminally and fraudulently acquire sensitive information”. A nasty example arrived in my email inbox last year. Not surprisingly it was a phisher impersonating a bank - one of the common ploys to get private information. Here’s the text verbatim (the only thing I’ve changed is my email address – to protect my privacy):

We would like to inform you that we are currently carrying out scheduled maintenance.In order to guarantee the high level of security to our business customers, we require you to complete “Wachovia Commercial Online Form”.Please complete Wachovia Commercial Online Form using the link below:http://commercial.wachovia.com/Online/Financial/Business/Service[remainder of URL removed by me to prevent propagation]

This is auto-generated email, please do not respond to this email.

=======

This was an easy one for me to identify as bogus – I’m not a Wachovia customer. The phisher, however, likely sent out millions of emails like this in the hopes some subset of people will be Wachovia customers. The emails themselves are sent most likely via infected PCs to make it less likely spam filters will block the email.

The link – and this is the key part – looks like a link to Wachovia’s website but it isn’t. The actual link takes you to this website: “commercial.wachovia.com.dllstackontodir29.cn”. Note the “dllstackontodir29.cn” tacked on to the end – that’s the home of the bad guys, not Wachovia.

What you see on the screen rarely matches the actual link. This is not a bad thing for legitimate sites – the full website typically carries a lot of extra information that makes the website work but is meaningless to the consumer. The display name (what you see on the screen) is just enough text to tell you what you are clicking on. Scammers like phishers, unfortunately, take advantage of this.

Similarly, it appears the email came from wachovia.com – it didn’t.

Golden rule here – never believe an email like this – a legitimate business doesn’t take this route to communicate updates. Furthermore, if you aren’t sure go directly to the site and log into your account from there (rather than clicking a link in an email) – if there is something you need to do you’ll find out there. Finally, if you accidentally click a link you didn’t intend to, close your Internet browser.

Stay tuned - next time we'll talk about bogus spyware protection (also known as scareware).

If you think you are infected give us a call at 1-800-PCSUPPORT or click through to http://www.support.com. That link goes to where it says it will go - no phishing.

Parks Associates finds consumer use of tech support tripled since 2006, creating opportunities for service providers, retailers, and third-party providers --

The number of U.S. broadband households seeking professional services for computer and networking problems has tripled since 2006, as more users lack the time and expertise to deal with the complications of today’s technology, according to Customer Support in the Digital Home.

This 2009 consumer survey from international research firm Parks Associates reports more than 30% of consumers have used in-store or in-home technical support to solve a computer problem, up from 10% in 2006. Fifteen percent of consumers have used professional tech support for home networking problems, up from 6% in 2006. Parks Associates forecasts U.S. revenues for PC and home networking troubleshooting services will exceed $2 billion due in large part to growing consumer demand and increased prevalence of connected devices.

Customer Support in the Digital Home reports that service providers can enhance their service portfolios through such offerings as managed security, enhanced technical support, and online backup. Value retailers can enhance their standing by creating service programs that go beyond extended warranties to include ongoing support for purchased and installed products.

This panel discusses how consumer electronics companies and content providers are working together to deliver new video experiences to end users, with analysis of early deployments, current business models, and future services.

Their session on Wednesday, June 3, will examine the television’s role as a multimedia access platform. The role of the television in the home will expand as more sets come with Internet connections, which link these devices to online content sources. This opportunity prompts questions on how consumer electronics manufacturers will build scale, create new revenue models, and market and sell advanced televisions.

Service providers face issues brought on by the economic and housing crisis, slowing subscriber growth, and increased competition – where the right combination of services or the wrong pricing dynamics can woo subscribers from one carrier to the next. Although service providers’ priorities have been consistent over time, the steps necessary to fulfill them have changed.

It is time to change the rules of the game. Eyecon's media companion software application enables consumers to connect to their content and seamlessly route it to any compatible playback device in the home. The distinctive, intuitive user interface separates the media control from the entertainment display, combining a more enjoyable viewing experience with synchronized and personalized search and discovery on a variety of handheld devices.The patented client-server media control application is fully scalable and uniquely supports all existing business models: licensing, Service Provider subscriptions, and profiled, targeted advertisements.

Eyecon's software application simplifies searches over any media content, handles all media content choices and control of playback devices, allowing the television full screen display to be uninterrupted, at all times.

Mr. Lurie will present the opening keynote “Embedding Wireless in Consumer Electronics” on June 2 at 4:30 p.m. He will discuss the role of wireless capabilities in emerging devices and how consumers will use wirelessly enabled devices to stay connected with each other and with the content and services they desire.

Monday, April 27, 2009

Irdeto, a leading expert in content and business model protection solutions and services, announced the launch of the Irdeto Conditional Access (CA) System with Universal Client. The Universal Client is Irdeto’s unique new software client designed to meet the needs of broadcasters who require a cost-effective and secure content security solution that is easily integrated with a wide variety of low-cost devices, including Digital Terminal Adapters (DTAs) and “zapper” set-top boxes (STBs).

As the transition from analog to digital picks up pace, an increasing number of operators and broadcasters have operational and security requirements that are best served by the Irdeto Universal Client, which provides robust content security for basic subscription packages. The solution is also ideal for Free to View broadcasters who need to restrict the geographic distribution of their content to comply with content owner requirements.

The Irdeto Universal Client is a software-based DTA security solution based on Irdeto’s 15 years of experience in securing the content and revenues of more than 300 digital pay TV operators worldwide. The Universal Client is resistant to hacking, cloning and reverse engineering because of its use of the latest Cloakware™ software protection technologies. Irdeto is working with renowned silicon manufactures and has integrated its Universal Client technology on Broadcom’s latest DTA system-on-a-chip (SoC) solution. In addition, Irdeto is working with the world’s leading set-top box manufacturers to pre-embed the security solution for quick market deployment.

The Multimedia over Coax Alliance (MoCA®) is the standard for home entertainment networking using already existing coaxial cabling. The current MoCA specification can support multiple streams of HD video, network up to 16 MoCA enabled devices, deliver up to 175 Mbps throughput and offer an unparalleled user experience via parameterized quality of service.

With the shift towards digital television (DTV) and increasing use of large-scale high definition (HD) displays, the home entertainment market is expanding at an astounding rate. With this growth, the average living room has amassed a huge collection of cables and connectors for multiple devices, such as Blu-ray players, AV receivers, game consoles, set-top-boxes, PCs and many more. Understandably, consumers are looking for a better way to provide point-to-point connectivity and multimedia distribution in the home entertainment environment.

Additionally, the introduction of flat panel displays that can hang on the wall like a picture frame has created a need to reduce the number of cables and connectors to a minimum. Once the TV is on the wall, it is no longer necessary to place the different entertainment devices right next to it. In fact, the majority of consumers, especially women, prefer these devices to be hidden.

Thursday, April 23, 2009

Valens Semiconductor, a fabless semiconductor company, enables the distribution of multimedia content in the high growth HD home entertainment market through HDBaseT™ technology. Valens’ HDBaseT technology is the new digital connectivity enabling simplified long-reach wired connectivity and simultaneous distribution of uncompressed video, audio and Internet via a single LAN cable.

Wednesday, April 22, 2009

Pivot Media announced that Bill DeMuth, Chief Technology Officer, SureWest Communications will participate as the Keynote speaker at the Telecom Executive Summit@CONNECTIONS. The pre-show summit will be hosted on Tuesday, June 2 prior to the opening sessions at CONNECTIONS.

Following the Keynote, a session will be hosted:

All Things Digital Service Provider Panel

Service provider thought leaders share their own experiences in managing the transition of taking traditional telcos into the digital age. This panel will highlight service provider strategies for maximizing the digital opportunity in telecom today and tomorrow. Hear first hand from the carriers who are embracing their digital future and executing against it.

Tuesday, April 21, 2009

Company celebrates 40 years of innovation by expanding its media solutions offerings for the convergence era --

Irdeto, a leading expert in content and business model protection solutions and services, attained substantial global market momentum in its fiscal year, which ended 31 March 2009. The company, who celebrates its 40th anniversary this year, continues to be an innovator in the digital media industry with some key milestones in the region and expansion of its media solutions portfolio.

A pioneer in the pay TV industry and global leader in conditional access (CA), Irdeto has rapidly expanded its portfolio over the past few years to provide additional capabilities such as digital rights management, business support systems, set-top box software solutions, software security and broadband media services to more than 500 premier customers worldwide, enabling them to protect and monetize digital content. This set of capabilities will deliver a converged network architecture that unifies CA and DRM content delivery and protection while extending the operators’ span of control into the home network.

With more than 95 patents and patents pending, Irdeto is on the forefront of providing industry leading changes. During the past 40 years of operation, Irdeto has been a leader in technology innovation delivering many firsts including implementation of the very first DVB-CA system, the first IPTV deployment and the first Mobile TV CA solution.

With U.S. households reluctant to cancel home services despite the down economy, growth in cable and IPTV VoD services will remain strong, with revenues exceeding $11 billion by 2013, according to Parks Associates. The international research firm is hosting the pre-show workshop Monetizing Connectivity in the Home on June 2, 2009, at CONNECTIONS™, to analyze the opportunities and successful business strategies for advanced products and services.

At the workshop, the Parks Associates analyst team will provide comprehensive insight, analysis, and forecasts of the digital living markets, including consumer research and the best strategies on how to gain and retain customers in a difficult economy.

CONNECTIONS™ includes interactive panels with over 80 speakers, moderated by Parks Associates’ expert analysts and featuring the latest research on converging content, services, and hardware. Register now at http://www.connectionsconference.com or contact sales@parksassociates.com, 972-490-1113, for more information.

Monday, April 20, 2009

Irdeto is working with Setanta Sports to create an end-to-end service for creating, managing and publishing live and on-demand content for distribution and consumption through multiple web properties on a free and pay basis. The Irdeto content management solution allows for the optimum mix of control to staff, robust content management system functionality and excellent value for money.

Users accessing Setanta-i will experience a range of superior services, such as provision of high quality streaming (up to 1.8Mbps) and accelerated delivery via Swarmcast; a progressive user interface via Microsoft Silverlight and extensive personalization features such as Favorites and Playlists.

Setanta Sports now has a fully automated service for managing the capture and encoding of content from up to 17 live feeds, the entering and management of the associated metadata and the monetization and secure distribution of that content. The service will allow Setanta Sports to generate subscription and on demand revenues from its content and to promote its brand worldwide.

Scheduled to go live in April 2009, Setanta-i is using Irdeto’s content management solution that includes the PUBLISH module which allows content and rich metadata to be entered, managed, stored, formatted, processed and published for both internal and consumer usage. It publishes on all popular platforms including Web, PDA, mobile phones, podcasts for video on demand, and live video broadcasts. Other modules used in the Setanta-i service include CONTROL allowing content usage protection, MONETIZE for pay or ad-supported opportunities and multiple MEDIA MANAGEMENT PLATFORMS to manage the ingest and transcoding of content from multiple sources.

Thursday, April 16, 2009

Parks Associates welcomes AwoX as one of the newest CONNECTIONS sponsors for 2009. AwoX is returning to sponsor for their FOURTH consecutive US CONNECTIONS Conference.

AwoX provides network media solutions for the digital home ranging from embedded technologies to OEM/ODM internet-connected products. The company’s controller, renderer and server SDKs are known for their performance, reliability and interoperability with DLNA guidelines 1.0 and 1.5, as well as for their seamless portability to TVs, PCs, network drives, home theater systems, mobile phones and ADSL routers. AwoX is headquartered in Montpellier, France, with a branch in Singapore. AwoX is a private company backed by Innovacom, BNP Paribas Private Equity, Soridec, CM-CIC Capital Privé and Fondinvest Capital.

Monday, April 13, 2009

Parks Associates welcomes PlumChoice as the evening reception sponsor for the CONNECTIONS(TM) Conference.

PlumChoice Online PC Services is a trusted provider of online computer support for the home, home office and small business. The company is based in Billerica, MA with remote offices throughout the U.S.

PlumChoice's premium remote computer and technology service is available to home and business PC users, business travelers, telecommuters, college students, persons with limited mobility and any PC user with Internet access. The company's remote services include support for PCs, MP3 players, PDAs and other mobile devices, networking and network devices, printers and other peripherals, digital cameras and any software, connectivity or operating system level issues.

Thursday, April 9, 2009

There were over 3.5 billion mobile phone users worldwide by the end of 2008. Within this population is growing interest in convergence features – in particular, a niche of users want to reach back into their homes to retrieve the stored media on their PCs and receive the same signals going to their TVs.

CONNECTIONS™ notes that consumers will increasingly use their mobile phones as personal gateways for information, services, and community connections. In addition, consumers will align their mobile devices with other entertainment and communication devices (such as TVs, computers, and fixed-line phones) to fit their individual needs.

This adaptability makes the mobile phone an integral part of the three-screen strategy (computer, TV, and mobile phone) and quad-play service portfolios. To accommodate device and usage convergence, carriers around the world must collapse the walls around their wireline and wireless service units by forming partnerships, making acquisitions, and investing in new technologies.

Multimedia on Mobile Devices, part of the Content & Services track at CONNECTIONS™, will address how consumers acquire and consume multimedia content on their mobile phones. This question will keep mobile carriers, CE device makers, and application developers busy for the next decade as they build business models and form partnerships around these emerging mobile multimedia applications.

By 2013, the amount of premium Web video content going to devices other than a computer or portable multimedia player will generate $5.9 billion in transactional revenues. The Marriage of Online Video to CE, the opening session at CONNECTIONS™, addresses how CE companies and content providers are working together to deliver new video experiences to end users by focusing on early deployments, current business models, and future services.

One avenue opening up the market for connected CE is through cable and satellite operators. As competition among carriers increases, it drives up the adoption of multiroom DVRs and set-top boxes, which providers are using as differentiators to attract customers and control churn.

The penetration of bundled services will also increase as carriers work to sell their subscribers on new and enhanced digital services that run through these advanced devices – and one of the key service offerings will be enhanced Web-based video services, where already there is growing consumer interest in informational widgets and electronic programming guides. With Web video and content going through connected CE and TVs, any variety of applications, advanced devices, and new business plans will emerge, from familiar services (VoD libraries) to wholly new, and ostensibly unprecedented, features.

CONNECTIONS™ speakers will examine these business models and more during this session, 5:15 p.m. on June 2. Register now to make sure you don’t miss this important event!

MoCA will continue the success of the highly provocative and entertaining panel from last year’s CONNECTIONS™ with a second installment at the 2009 event. This panel, Truth in Networking, consists of the most influential CE vendors in the industry. They will discuss and debate the issues, challenges, and solutions for home networking, including a complete and comprehensive assessment of the current home network environment.

Parks Associates reports that at the end of 2008, approximately 36 million U.S. households (31% of all U.S. homes), nearly 60 million Western European homes (34% of homes), and more than 160 million households worldwide had basic home network configurations. With networking solutions prevalent on such a massive scale, CONNECTIONS™ sessions such as MoCA’s will be invaluable in examining new business strategies that can best leverage the new connectivity market.

This session will take place at 4 p.m., June 3. Register now for CONNECTIONS™ to secure early registration pricing and be sure to bring your concerns and questions to this interactive and candid session.

The event will take place June 2-4, 2009, at the Santa Clara Convention Center. Glenn Lurie, President of Emerging Devices and Resale, AT&T Mobility and Consumer Markets, will present the opening Keynote on June 2. Joseph Ambeault, Director, Product Development and Management, Video Services, Verizon, will present the morning Keynote on June 3.

CONNECTIONS™ includes interactive panels with over 80 speakers, moderated by Parks Associates’ expert analysts and featuring the latest research on converging content, services, and hardware. The white paper The Future of Networked Devices and Digital Content highlights the key areas covered by the event tracks, including trends impacting all industry players:

• Commoditization of voice and bandwidth• Growth of bundled services • Growth of over-the-top service providers• Convergence of platforms and networks

The 13th annual CONNECTIONS™, taking place June 2-4, 2009, at the Santa Clara Convention Center, will feature interactive panels with over 80 speakers and consumer and industry research presented by Parks Associates’ expert analysts. This event attracts senior executives from industries associated with the digital home, new media and content distribution, and mobile applications and services.

CONNECTIONS™ will open with the keynote presentation Embedding Wireless in Consumer Electronics, featuring Glenn Lurie, President of Emerging Devices and Resale for AT&T Mobility and Consumer Markets. Conference sessions focus on four primary tracks while maintaining the broad industry overview necessary to capture all opportunities that exist in these complex, interconnected markets.

Main Sessions>> New Connectivity, Services, Opportunities>> Marriage of Online Video to CE>> Entertainment 2.0>> Connected TV Strategies>> Truth in Networking, hosted by MoCA>> Bringing the Smart Grid to the Smart Home>> Building the Holistic Support Environment>> What’s coming next?, a special venture capitalist session

About

CONNECTIONS™: The Digital Living Conference and Showcase, produced by International research firm Parks Associates is the largest executive conference and showcase dedicated to advanced digital lifestyle solutions for residential and mobile environments. CONNECTIONS™ Industry Insights is the official online publication for CONNECTIONS™. This publication tackles the issues key to the digital living markets in order to make sense of the industry segments and their seemingly disparate elements.

Want to post an article on CONNECTIONS?

Contact Mindi Sue at Parks Associates to request authorship status on the CONNECTIONS™ blog. Blog authors can post articles and offer their opinions on current industry trends.

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